In 2009, 81 million young people were unemployed, the highest number ever recorded. From 2007 to 2009 the youth unemployment rate rose by 1.1 percent, which represents 7.8 million young people becoming unemployed globally. These alarming figures were presented on 12 August 2010, the day that not only the International Year of Youth was launched, but also the International Labor Organization’s report “Global Employment Trends for Youth 2010. The report is the first such to be written during a global economic crisis and it highlights the difficult situation many young people are facing today.
Some of the main findings of the ILO report are:
The current situation shows us that there is a lot to be done to reverse the current unemployment trends. When a young person faces challenges of finding employment in the beginning of life it might have devastating and permanent effects on future employment opportunities. Being unemployed means that you loose out of valuable experience, lack possibilities of saving and lack opportunities to build yourself a sustainable living. For a young person these effects can hamper any progress to become an independent individual and to enter adulthood. Being unemployed may also lead to increased vulnerability, social exclusion and poverty which in turn could increase antisocial behaviour. For the country as a whole, having a big group of individuals left outside the labour force means a great loss in government revenue from taxes that could be spend on social security systems, and it might also mean greater government spending for remedial services.
Through our facebook consultation last month we asked young people about their experience with employment opportunities in their communities. Many of the replies that we received support the facts above. The comments outline the difficulties faced by young people in finding work and described their frustration at how young people, and especially young women, were discriminated in the job market. Lack of experience and a lack of trust from employers in young persons, were among some of the believed obstacles for young people to successfully enter the job market. When having attained a degree in higher education the problems persist. Many of the young people participating in the consultation felt that their education was not always linked to the job market requirements, forcing them to take additional courses after graduating.
On the positive side, the consultation showed that young people are more determined than ever to find new and innovative ways of creating new employment opportunities and finding possibilities to build relevant experience. With the increase of social online communication tools, the possibilities to share experiences, create online capacity building platforms, entrepreneurship courses, career counselling and networking opportunities has provided new forums for young people to develop their skills and to connect with possible future employers.
With five years left to reach the Millennium Development Goals, the importance of youth employment cannot be over emphasized. The first MDG is to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger, and one of its targets is to “achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all, including women and young people”. The current trends show that a lot of work still needs to be done if we are to reach the MDGs.
If you want to find out more about the situation of young people’s employment opportunities, go to our facebook page (www.facebook.com/UNyouthyear). Through the facebook page you can also participate in this month’s consultation “What are you doing to ensure a successful progress of the MDGs?” You may receive ideas for initiatives that make a difference in your community, or find a forum that might help you to develop new skills.
To find more activities taking place throughout the Year and to get inspiration on what you can do in your community, please visit our calendar of events at: www.social.un.org/youthyear.
Retrive from : UN Youth Flash: September 2010
Some of the main findings of the ILO report are:
- The youth unemployment rate is projected to increase to 81.2 million in 2010, before declining slightly in 2011 to 78.5 million
- The global youth unemployment rate is projected to decrease to 12.7 per cent in 2011
- Young women have greater difficulties of finding jobs compared to young men. The gender gap between unemployment rates of young men and women is 0.3 percentage points, and has remained unchanged since 2007
- More than 20 percent of the youth labour force in Middle East and North Africa were unable to find jobs in 2008
- In South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa where poverty rates are among the highest in the world, an average of 1.0 and 2.2 million young people respectively are expected to enter the labour market every year during the period of 2010-2015
The current situation shows us that there is a lot to be done to reverse the current unemployment trends. When a young person faces challenges of finding employment in the beginning of life it might have devastating and permanent effects on future employment opportunities. Being unemployed means that you loose out of valuable experience, lack possibilities of saving and lack opportunities to build yourself a sustainable living. For a young person these effects can hamper any progress to become an independent individual and to enter adulthood. Being unemployed may also lead to increased vulnerability, social exclusion and poverty which in turn could increase antisocial behaviour. For the country as a whole, having a big group of individuals left outside the labour force means a great loss in government revenue from taxes that could be spend on social security systems, and it might also mean greater government spending for remedial services.
Through our facebook consultation last month we asked young people about their experience with employment opportunities in their communities. Many of the replies that we received support the facts above. The comments outline the difficulties faced by young people in finding work and described their frustration at how young people, and especially young women, were discriminated in the job market. Lack of experience and a lack of trust from employers in young persons, were among some of the believed obstacles for young people to successfully enter the job market. When having attained a degree in higher education the problems persist. Many of the young people participating in the consultation felt that their education was not always linked to the job market requirements, forcing them to take additional courses after graduating.
On the positive side, the consultation showed that young people are more determined than ever to find new and innovative ways of creating new employment opportunities and finding possibilities to build relevant experience. With the increase of social online communication tools, the possibilities to share experiences, create online capacity building platforms, entrepreneurship courses, career counselling and networking opportunities has provided new forums for young people to develop their skills and to connect with possible future employers.
With five years left to reach the Millennium Development Goals, the importance of youth employment cannot be over emphasized. The first MDG is to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger, and one of its targets is to “achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all, including women and young people”. The current trends show that a lot of work still needs to be done if we are to reach the MDGs.
If you want to find out more about the situation of young people’s employment opportunities, go to our facebook page (www.facebook.com/UNyouthyear). Through the facebook page you can also participate in this month’s consultation “What are you doing to ensure a successful progress of the MDGs?” You may receive ideas for initiatives that make a difference in your community, or find a forum that might help you to develop new skills.
To find more activities taking place throughout the Year and to get inspiration on what you can do in your community, please visit our calendar of events at: www.social.un.org/youthyear.
Retrive from : UN Youth Flash: September 2010
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